but they will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the american economy. >> also, need to tell you the president did speak about his gun violence effort. he's had the package put together by the vice president is on his desk today. and he will talk about it a little later on this week. want to bring in two people here, ali velshi with me from new york, and gloria borger there in our nation's capital, to you both welcome. ali, it has been more than a year since that whole previous debt limit debacle. and i know you are saying, especially comparing this to what we just saw on new year's day with the fiscal cliff, this is going to be much, much worse, much bigger deal. talk to me about what we're debating or as the president puts it not debating? >> what we're debating or not debating is the idea that the debt ceiling in the united states is a very unusual tool, only one other country has it. and it is because what used to happen is whenever the government needed to spend money, particularly when you're in a deficit, the treasury of the united states would ha